Outer space: Switzerland takes the lead cleaning up the mess
A Swiss start-up has been selected to lead a major European Space Agency (ESA) space clean-up mission with a total budget topping €100 million (CHF110 million).
This content was published on
1 minute
Engineers at ClearSpace, a spin-off of Space Center (eSpace) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), have found a way of capturing and eliminating debris accumulated over six decades of low-orbit activities.
The start-up and its consortium were chosen to develop and fly the first-ever mission to capture and remove a disused ESA asset floating in space.
Work begins early next year with the goal of de-activating a Vespa adapter, a physical structure used to connect the spacecraft to the launch vehicle, in 2025.
Ever since the world’s first satellite was launched in 1957, all kinds of debris have accumulated in space, creating a risk to spaceflight.
In addition to the 2,000 working satellites orbiting our planet, there are over 3,000 abandoned ones, according to ClearSpace.
Swiss foreign minister backs Berset at Council of Europe
This content was published on
Cassis described Berset as the "ideal candidate" to help the Council realise its aim of ensuring security and peace in Europe.
Gay conversion therapy banned in Swiss canton of Valais
This content was published on
On Thursday, the canton approved a new Health Act which includes a ban on therapies aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
This content was published on
Some aspects of pro-Palestine sit-ins have gone too far, but the right to protest and debate must be upheld, the student association has said.
Swiss LGTBIQ helpline: attacks more than doubled in 2023
This content was published on
Three organisations jointly operating a helpline have called for more awareness, action and funding to address discrimination.
This content was published on
Switzerland's economy grew slightly at the start of 2024, with growth in the service sector contrasting with weak growth in industry.
Swiss employment rate rises in first quarter of 2024
This content was published on
The number of women and foreign nationals in employment increased particularly strongly, the Federal Statistical Office said on Thursday.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss “janitor satellite” to clean up space
This content was published on
Researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, (EPFL), hope the SFr10-million ($11-million) CleanSpace One prototype satellite will be in the skies by 2016 in a bid to help resolve the worsening space junk problem. “It’s time to do something to reduce the amount of debris floating around in space,” Swiss astronaut and EPFL professor…
This content was published on
Cleaning up space is the mission of a new Swiss start-up, ClearSpace, which will capitalise on technology developed by engineers at the EPFL.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.